Online Voter Registration Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Last Chance To Register To Vote In The General Election In W.Va.

The final day to register to vote in West Virginia’s Nov. 3 general election is Tuesday Oct. 13.

While state code calls for the deadline to be the close of business, the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office said online registrations — completed after business hours but before midnight — fall to the discretion of county clerks.

Those wishing to register in person must do so before their local county clerk’s office closes for the day. Registrations submitted by mail must be postmarked on or before Oct. 13.

The secretary of state’s office reports there are more than 1.2 million registered voters in West Virginia.

“We are asking all voters to make a plan to vote,” said Secretary of State Mac Warner last week in a news release. “Encourage your family members, friends and neighbors to make a plan as well.”

In the past three years, the office has registered more than 200,000 new voters, while 192,000 deceased, duplicate, out of state and convicted felon registration files have been cancelled from the Statewide Voter Registration System, according to the secretary of state’s office.

Early in-person voting begins next week on Oct. 21 and runs through Oct. 31. The last day to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 28.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Judge Orders Cabell Clerk to Register Voters Online

Following a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia, a federal judge has ordered Cabell County Clerk Karen Cole to accept and process online voter registrations.

Cole has stood her ground before on her refusal to process online voter registrations. The ACLU unsuccessfully sued her during the 2016 primaries in the spring, when she told West Virginia Public Broadcasting that she had concerns regarding the security of registering online.

“The issue that we have is when we receive the information over the Secretary of State’s online voter registration program, is that it doesn’t provide us with all the information that the law requires that we have to have in order to register a voter,” she said in the spring.

The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia filed the proposed class-action lawsuit Thursday against Cole in U.S. District Court in Huntington. The suit alleged that Cole’s decision violated the 14th Amendment.

“The 14th Amendment has both an equal protection requirement and a due process requirement. And when it comes to voting cases, those two really merge together,” Jamie Lynn Crofts, the legal director for the ACLU of West Virginia, told West Virginia Public Broadcasting last week. “Voting is such a fundamental right that you can’t have it be different based on where in a state a person lives.”

Crofts added that the online voter registration form actually requires more identifying information about the person registering than the paper form does.

Those who registered to vote online in Cabell County prior to the Oct. 18 deadline will be able to vote in the general elections on Nov. 8.

State Voter Registration Deadline Tuesday

Time is running out for West Virginians to register to vote in the Nov. 8 general election.

Tuesday is the deadline to register. Residents can apply to register to vote online, at a county clerk’s office or by mail.

Early voting begins Oct. 26. A list of county clerk’s offices is posted on the Secretary of State’s Office’s website.

Tuesday Marks Last Day to Register for May Primary

With the arrival of the last day to register to vote before next month’s primary election in West Virginia, the secretary of state’s office says activity through the online voter registration application system has surged.

The secretary of state’s office said the system received more than 10,000 submissions last week, accounting for almost a third of the submissions. There were about 1,100 submissions the first full month and 8,600 submissions in March.

Data last week showed half of online submissions were new voter registrations, with 3 percent name changes, 22 percent party changes and 25 percent address changes.

Tuesday is the last day to register. The online voter registration platform and a printable voter registration form are available at https://ovr.sos.wv.gov/Register .

W.Va. Voter Registration Deadline Approaching

More than 33,000 West Virginia voters have used the state’s online voter registration system. The numbers come from the Secretary of State’s Office as the deadline to register to vote in West Virginia’s primary election is quickly approaching.

The Secretary of State’s Office reports about 50 percent of those using the online voter registration system were new applicants, signing up to vote for the first time. The other half were made up of voters looking to change their names, addresses, or party affiliations.

Residents from all of the state’s 55 counties have submitted information through the online system.

The deadline to register to vote in West Virginia’s primary election in Tuesday, April 19. Voters can use the online system or visit their county clerk’s office to fill out the registration form.

The state’s primary election will be held on May 10.

It will be the only time West Virginia voters can cast ballots for judicial officers, including the contested race for one open seat on the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

West Virginia holds a closed primary meaning voters can only cast ballots for candidates from the party they are registered in. Registered independent voters can choose between the two party ballots.

Not Every County In W.Va. Satisfied With Online Voter Registration Process

On this West Virginia Morning, we learn about one county in West Virginia that is not yet satisfied with West Virginia’s current version of the online voting registration process. Also, Kara Lofton Brings us a report on the opportunities residents of West Virginia have for their end-of-life stages.